Can Naomi Osaka trust Patrick Mouratoglou?

09/26/2024 08:07 AM

Can Naomi Osaka return to being the dominant tennis player we all knew until Roland Garros 2021, the part of her career during which she talked for the first time about mental health problems? And what will Patrick Mouratoglou's entry into her team bring?

The Japanese made her debut at the WTA 1000 tournament in Beijing and defeated Lucia Bronzetti with a 6-3, 6-2. Naomi will face the number 21 seed Yulia Putintseva in the second round, a player she has already met five times in her career. After two defeats in a row, the 4-time Grand Slam champion managed to take a 3-2 lead in the head-to-head.

"I felt good. I'm really happy that I was able to play well. The court suits my style really well and I hope to play at least a couple more matches here. I have no expectations, especially now I'm trying to work on some different things. I try to focus on myself," she said.

Naomi Osaka & Patrick Mouratoglou during pre-match practice ahead of today’s R1 match in Beijing. pic.twitter.com/DaQ5FMVvZI

— Jimmie48 Photography (@JJlovesTennis) September 25, 2024

Naomi decided to make a big decision last September, breaking up her professional relationship with Wim Fissette. Her new coach is one of the best around, and he is Serena Williams' former coach.

"I call him coach now. There is a lot of interest in my corner right now, but yes: he is my coach. I hope in the long term. I like the way he coaches, I think it will be interesting. Wim is one of my favorite people. Nothing personal, nothing crazy happened. I felt like I needed a change. I would have liked to win more titles with him. I am at a stage in my career where I don't want to have any regrets. I need to learn as much as possible now and Patrick seems like the right person to get the information I want to learn more things," she said in a press conference.

The Japanese then analyzed the long and historic collaboration between Mouratoglou and Serena Williams.

"Should I be honest? Because when I am, I get into trouble! The fact that he was Serena's coach almost made me want to avoid him, because his personality is so great. Then I met him, talked to him and worked with him on the court. He is absolutely a great coach. I am grateful that he accepted this project. I am still nervous when I am close to him and I stare at the ground when he looks at me, but I feel more and more comfortable every day," she added.

But can Naomi trust Patrick Mouratoglou? Obviously intent as a coach who can improve her and bring her back to the successes of the past. The French coach gave his best and received his best during the collaboration with Serena Williams. Over the years, together, the American tennis player won 10 Majors and the Olympic gold medal. Then the French coach had the unfortunate collaboration with Simona Halep, tainted by the doping-issue of the Romanian star. Even the collaboration with the young Danish Holger Rune did not yield the desired results, but on the contrary, it led to two splits between tennis player and coach.

Looking closely, it seems that Mouratoglou has already given his best in the collaboration with Serena, then he was no longer able to change the fate of the other tennis players he followed. With Osaka there is the decisive test: athlete and coach both seek redemption after the last disappointing professional years. Mouratoglou can bring experience and knowledge, but the emotional, mental and human side of their relationship will be decisive.

The French coach will have to be able to bring back to the surface the true tennis of Naomi Osaka, still dormant inside the Japanese, after the glories of the past. The hope of the 4-time Slam champion is that both have learned from the recent mistakes and problems to start a significant professional partnership, to not do as happened with Halep and Rune.

Naomi Osaka says the fact that Patrick Mouratoglou was Serena’s coach made her want to avoid him initially, ‘I didn’t know if he was a good coach or he coached Serena… but he absolutely is a really good coach’ “Obviously we all know Patrick from his work with Serena. How does… pic.twitter.com/5JbrCcf2zB

— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) September 25, 2024

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Naomi Osaka said she was apprehensive to hire Patrick Mouratoglou: “I think the fact that he was Serena's coach for me made me want to avoid him just because his persona is so big. Like, this isn't rude because I found out it's not true, but I didn't know if he was a good coach… pic.twitter.com/VU4vwvsrhK

— Christian's Court (@christianscourt) September 25, 2024

Four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is in it for the long haul with Patrick Mouratoglou, who guided her idol, Serena Williams, to 10 of her 23 major titles 🙌 "I try to think of it as a long-term commitment. I like the way he coaches." - @naomiosaka 🤝 pic.twitter.com/ZwOep4uGgg

— DW Sports (@dw_sports) September 25, 2024